<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Roses into Ashes by Mersheeple</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654860">Roses into Ashes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple'>Mersheeple</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Death, Gen, Regeneration (Doctor Who)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:15:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Eleventh Doctor, on one of his adventures with Clara, lands somewhere new, somewhere too exciting.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Roses into Ashes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Uploading this old story. Written Pre-Capaldi (when I was honestly already bored of Clara, as evidenced by the fact that I killed her off!) The story is NOT graphic but it does have some angst and some "I don't like Moffat" themes...LOL</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Come on Sexy girl, take me somewhere fun!" The Doctor pulled another lever and Clara gripped the bar tightly, throwing her head back as she laughed, the TARDIS juddered and the Doctor cheered. "That's it Sexy, get me somewhere good!"</p><p>The TARDIS answered with its usual hum and whirr, moving through Time and Space at its usual speed. Worlds and centuries rushed by outside, planets exploded, stars imploded, time lines were changed and a mysterious blue box was seen by a thousand eyes and remembered by none.</p><p>They landed with a jolt, both its occupants stumbling slightly, now used to the landings after many rides together. The Doctor ran to the door and opened it just a crack.</p><p>"Oh Yes! Oh yes Sexy Girl! Perfect!" His eyes shone as he grabbed his jacket, blowing a kiss back at the engine of the TARDIS as he opened the door fully and walked through. Clara stood still, laughing softly as she picked up her own jacket. The Doctor poked his head back in through the door. "Well come on then Clara. We have an adventure to start."</p><p>She stepped through onto the planet's surface and gasped. Above her the sky was a brilliant azure and two suns beamed down. In front of her, a forest stretched forward a short way but between the trees she could see the faint outline of a stone building. The crunch of autumn leaves behind her had her spinning round and she grinned at the Doctor.</p><p>"So...where are we?" her voice was slightly breathless with anticipation as he closed the door of the TARDIS behind them.</p><p>"Haven't the foggiest. Come on!" He grabbed her hand and started to pull her through the forest towards the building, agilely leaping over fallen branches and neatly weaving around others. She laughed as they got to the edge of the forest and he stopped suddenly causing her to bump into the back of him.</p><p>"Doctor! Why did you stop?" She stepped back and moved to look at whatever had caused him to stop. In front of them was a village with a large stone village hall that they had seen through the trees. Clara turned to him and tried to understand what he had seen. "Doctor?"</p><p>"Look Clara. Look at them." The Doctor was quiet, pointing at a group of people standing along the wall of the village hall. Clara turned, looking directly at them.</p><p>"They're short...so what?" Her brow creased as she looked up at him. He shook his head.</p><p>"Not short Clara. Children. Where are all the adults?" The Doctor let go of her hand, running a finger between his neck and his collar, stretching it away to relieve some of the heat. His fingers caught on his bowtie briefly and she caught a flicker of a smile on his lips before he started to walk forward towards the village.</p><p>She followed him, only a step or two behind. The Doctor was obviously uneasy. He walked up to the children who stared, unblinking. Clara felt uncomfortable, like they were looking at more than just him, like they were seeing deeper than the surface.</p><p>"Where are the grown ups? Where are they?" The Doctor spoke loudly to make sure his words were heard. The children said nothing. He moved closer and repeated his question. "Where are the grown ups?"</p><p>Again the children were silent. The clock on the top of the village hall clicked twice as he waited, two minutes passed and still the children were silent. Clara wished they would blink. Conscious of their unblinking stares behind her she turned to look, in case there was something behind her that they could see that meant they couldn't blink.</p><p>There was nothing there. Clara breathed a sigh of relief. No statues stood behind her. The children could blink...they just didn't. A third minute clicked above them and a the clock chimed the hour. Clara turned to look at the children. The Doctor's arm got in her way as she went to step forward.</p><p>The chimes died and suddenly, as one, all the children blinked.</p><p>Ring around the roses...</p><p>The children sang the one line softly and shifted slightly, leaning differently. The voices died away and once again all the children were still.</p><p>"I don't like this Doctor. We should go." Clara's voice shook but she knew what was coming. The Doctor turned back to face her and smiled.</p><p>"Adventure time...Geronimo!" He took her hand and tugged her with him towards the front of the building. More children sat along the front wall, and in the village she could see more children, some standing straight, some leaning, none blinking, all silent.</p><p>The Doctor looked at her and tugged her close. "Stay close Clara. No running off now." He frowned gravely, a fairly unfamiliar look on his face that didn't bode well for her she was sure. He let go of her hand and started towards the door of the village hall.</p><p>He reached the door and went to touch the handle. A great scream sounded all around them, blood-curdling and vile with no obvious source. The children's mouths were all closed and Clara span in every direction, attempting to see where the scream was coming from. The Doctor pulled away from the door handle and instantly the scream stopped, no echo sounding around them as they expected.</p><p>The Doctor spoke aloud. "You don't want me going in there do you? Is that where you keep them? The adults? Why...why there? Why?" He shook his head and looked at Clara. "Cover your ears." She tried to cover them and he reached for the handle again.</p><p>The scream was louder, ripping through her head, not even remotely diminished by the placement of her hands. Clara's eyes drifted closed at the pain and then...the scream was gone. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at The Doctor where he stood, no longer holding the door handle. The door was still firmly closed.</p><p>"What happened?" Her voice seemed incredibly loud in the silence of the village. He held his hand up, palm facing towards her. In the centre a great red ring marked where the door handle had been, looking like a burn that was rapidly starting to heal thanks to the Doctor's powers of regeneration.</p><p>"Someone really doesn't want the door opened." The Doctor spoke quietly and she looked at him, slightly nervous. "Or maybe...maybe it doesn't want me to open it." Clara shook her head rapidly. He looked at her and spoke softly. "Just touch it. Test it for me."</p><p>She took a deep breath and took two steps forwards. Her hand reached out slowly and she took a second breath as her hand touched the handle. This time there were two screams: the same one they had already heard and hers. She dropped her hand as the pain ripped through her. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over as she fell to the floor in front of him. He dropped next to her, taking her in his arms and apologising over and over, whispering her name until her sobs subsided and she spoke shakily into his shirt.</p><p>"Not just you." She pulled away and held out her hand, the bright red ring a match for his own. He held out his hand and she saw that the ring was still there. He may be able to regenerate but, at this distance from the TARDIS, his powers were reduced.</p><p>He pulled her upwards and they stood together, staring at the door they were unable to go through. She had been on enough adventures with the mad man in the blue box to know that if he wasn't supposed to go somewhere, that was always where he wanted to go.</p><p>"What now?" She looked at him, already dreading the answer. But she had known what she was getting into before she had chosen to follow him. This was no time to dread anything.</p><p>"Now we come up with another plan. A better plan. A different one to just walking through the front door." He looked puzzled as he looked at his hand again. The clock above them ticked and began to chime. Clara took his hand in her own stinging one as she knew what was coming.</p><p>Again the children all blinked as the chimes died. They sang as one, softly,</p><p>A pocket full of posies...</p><p>The single line seemed haunting for being unfinished and all the children stilled, this time all with their hands held in front of their faces, palm forward. Every single child had a bright red circular welt on their palm. The Doctor stared briefly at them and then started to mutter.</p><p>"English rhyme. Why? What does it mean?" He looked at Clara thoughtfully. "Back to the TARDIS." He started to run, not asking her to follow as he knew she wouldn't want to stay with the children on her own. She followed, managing to keep up with him almost completely as he bobbed and weaved and jumped through the forest, constantly muttering to himself, words too quiet for her to hear. He opened the TARDIS door and rushed over the threshold, leaving the door open for her. She didn't follow.</p><p>"Aha! Clara look at this! Clara?" He looked around, only then noticing he was alone. With a sense of dread he moved to the door of the TARDIS and looked out into the forest. She stood, unmoving, only three feet away, staring back towards the village. He walked towards her, terrified of what he would find. He touched her shoulder and she shivered.</p><p>"I'm alright. I just...I know what's coming. The rest of the rhyme." She turned to look at him, her eyes damp as she blinked and then started to sing softly. "Ring around the roses, A pocket full of posies..." she paused and he nodded, his voice joining with hers as she finished the rhyme.</p><p>"Ashes, ashes, We all fall down."</p><p>He raised her hand to his lips, gently kissing her fingers. "If you want to stay here, you can. I can't...you know that don't you? I have to do something, if I can." He looked at her imploringly, not wanting to beg her to stay safe and also not wanting to ask her to come with him. A brief look of relief flickered over his face as she shook her head.</p><p>"Not alone. You won't go alone." She looked determined as he gave a half smile and started walking back towards the village with her in tow, keeping pace with him in spite of his hurry.</p><p>As they reached the village, they clock began to chime again and they paused, waiting for the next line. But it didn't come. Again the children blinked, shifted slightly and sang softly.</p><p>A pocket full of posies...</p><p>The Doctor stared at Clara. She blinked twice, staring him in the eyes, her head swimming. A look of understanding passed between them.</p><p>"Nothing changed so the words didn't change." He confirmed her suspicions as they started moving back towards the village, trying to understand what was going on. They walked past the village hall and further into the village, staying away from the sides of the houses where the children stood, their hands raised showing the circle of red again.</p><p>The Doctor stopped, suddenly staring at his hands. "Ring around the roses...Clara look...my hand is still red." He held his hand out, palm up showing her the mark. Clara looked at her hand and saw the mark still there.</p><p>"A pocket full of posies...Doctor...we need flowers!" Clara's voice was excited as she put two and two together. He looked at her, nodding, his eyes shining as he pointed towards what may once have been a florist, a display of wooden flowers still outside. They walked together, each taking two small flowers from the selection.</p><p>They placed the flowers in their pockets and headed back towards the door to the village hall. The Doctor placed his hand on the wood, the red welt burning and itchy as he took the handle in his other hand. Clara covered her ears but there was no scream. The Doctor turned the handle and pushed the door open.</p><p>Inside it was dark, almost a twilight that the light from outside did not touch. He held the door, waving her in front of him and she passed by carefully, barely brushing against him even though the doorway was narrow. The door closed behind them and the musty smell afflicted their nostrils and they frowned, mirroring each others look as they turned left and right, trying to see where to go.</p><p>To their left the narrow passage way seemed to shift before their eyes and they walked towards it, silently. The Doctor reached for Clara's shoulder as he moved her aside so that he could lead the way. He wouldn't put her in danger this time. The uneasiness of the situation made him wary and he felt stifled by his jacket and tie.</p><p>His burnt palm itched and he scratched absent mindedly, noticing that Clara was doing the same. He touched his hand to the wall of the passage, the cool stone soothing the itch but making it ever more painful as he pulled his hand away. He paused, Clara only three steps behind him, as he noticed the corridor getting narrower before reaching a wooden door at the end.</p><p>His hand trailing the stonework he inched forward, silently begging her to stay where she was as he started to feel a growing sense of dread. Never one to shy away from adventure, Clara walked with him every step of the way. He glanced briefly over his shoulder and touched the door with his hand.</p><p>The door shuddered under his finger tips and he took a firm grip of the handle. The Doctor took a deep breath and pushed the door firmly, turning the handle. A rush of foul smelling air hit them both in a wave as the door opened. The fetid stench of death hit them and Clara choked as she gagged behind him.</p><p>The Doctor walked into the room beyond. "No!" His voice, a choked croak that echoed, caught her attention and she started towards the door to follow him. She pushed through, the air from the passage way following her through and swirling the smell of dead bodies around her, enveloping her like a cloak.</p><p>She stared in horror at the pile of ashes in front of them, partial limbs evident: a hand reaching out, the palm scorched and blackened with the red circle still partially evident, a foot, still in its shoe but with nothing above the ankle. On top of the pile of ashes there sat a doll, its pink dress slightly tattered, its blonde curls blackened by soot, its eyes dark and charred looking like ghostly empty sockets. The Doctor reached forward to touch the doll.</p><p>The scream was echoing now, the doll's mouth wide as it screamed, starting to char and burn as the Doctor's hand reached the soot beneath it, smearing the ashes of the dead adults on his face and hands, moving back to Clara to stripe the soot over her cheeks. The scream was unbearably loud, one high pitched note that followed them as they started towards the door of the room back into the corridor.</p><p>The scream paused as their hands touched the door and the chimes of the clock echoed overhead. The Doctor shuddered as the children's voices penetrated even the thick stone walls.</p><p>Ashes, Ashes...</p><p>The scream started up again and they turned back over their shoulders, the doll's face capturing their gaze as it contorted with rage. As they opened the door, the doll leapt towards them, arms outstretched aiming for the Doctor's throat. They squeezed round the door and pulled it closed behind them, the doll's arms caught between the frame and the door. They tugged hard and watched the porcelain arms crack, shattering at the shoulders and falling to the ground to explode into shards and dust.</p><p>The scream continued, more one of rage than one of fear they now realised as the Doctor led the way back to the main antechamber where they had entered.</p><p>A door in the corner of the room caught their eye and they slowly walked towards it, carefully touching the door in the hope that the screaming would not increase in volume. The screaming was faint now and stopped as they touched the door with their ash covered hands. Clara looked at the Doctor her eyes taking in more than the soot on his face, noticing the tracks of his silent tears for the adults who had come before them, fallen before the screamer, those who lay now burned in the room they had left.</p><p>The fear was apparent in his eyes as he pushed the door hard, again silently begging her to stay behind him, stay away, stay safe, be protected. She moved to his side and walked through the door only half a step behind. The room was painted a brilliant white, almost painful to look at, and appeared to be empty. Clara looked at the Doctor and followed his eyes to the centre of the room.</p><p>In the centre was a floating blue ball, roughly the size of a tennis ball. They walked forward and the ball started to glow as they moved closer. They paused staring at it and waited. Silently, a look passed between them, an acknowledgement of self-sacrifice and, unthinking, they both forward forward at the same time to touch the blue ball.</p><p>A burning white light started from the centre of the ball and hit them. Clara heard the screaming, the cries of the fallen adults, her name being called as she saw the lives that had been sacrificed at the hands of the doll. Another scream, much louder, sounded around her as she was thrown across the room, her own screams crying out to the Doctor until she hit the wall beside the door. Her screams were silenced as her head bounced of the stone and she landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, eyes frozen open, misted by pain and the tears that would never be shed.</p><p>The Doctor yelled her name but got no reply as flashes of memory stole through him: Amy and Rory Pond, River Song, Donna Noble, Rose Tyler, Harry Sullivan, Adelaide Brooke, Astrid Peth, Adric, Sara Kingdom, Katerina, flashes of faces begging for his help, memories of those he could not save, all the companions he had lost, all the friends he had had stolen away from him as he travelled towards his own destruction, always running from the memories of Gallifrey, his wife, his children, everyone he had lost.</p><p>The memories had spent so long buried deep so he did not have to endure the pain that the Doctor fell to his knees, begging for respite, pleading as he wept, sobbing for all he had loved. He raised his gaze to the blue ball hovering out of reach and begged for release from the pain, begged to be allowed to forget.</p><p>The ball glowed white, searing his eyes with its brightness and he cried out, whimpering as he reached up to it, pleading as the memories assaulted him once more. His fingers touched the ball and he heard a scream, the final dying cries of the Time Lords of Gallifrey, screaming his true name. He pulled his hand away, reaching back to feel for Clara's hand, begging her to reach for him.</p><p>He turned as his hand touched her skin, pale alabaster white, cold as porcelain. Her lips, blush pink and firmly closed, were still, her chest unmoving as she no longer breathed. Her eyes, blackened and open, were tainted with unshed tears. He sobbed louder then, another life lost, another senseless waste, his arms reached out to pull her close to his chest, a new memory striking him as he shuddered in pain.</p><p>Her voice echoed around him, only a memory and yet painfully real. "Run you clever boy...and remember!" He held her tight, pain pounding through him, white hot and burning as he lifted her and stood, running through the door back to the antechamber.</p><p>The scream echoed through the building and into the street as he pushed through the outer door, running towards the safety of the TARDIS. The scream called out and the chimes rang, louder than before. The scream echoed around him as all the children, still unblinking, opened their mouths, screaming as one, surrounding him and reaching out as he ran by, pushing through, keeping Clara close to him so they could not grab her.</p><p>He glanced over his shoulder back at the village hall and ran faster as he saw the swirl of black smoke and ash and white light pouring out, touching and tainting the children's faces, their screams echoing out. And still he ran, into the forest, leaping and twisting, the screams echoing all around him, screams from the past entwined with screams from the present, memories and dreams and a white hot burning pain surging through him.</p><p>He saw the TARDIS in the distance, safety so close and yet so far from him. He glanced back again and stumbled, the black smoke almost upon him. He tried to breathe and the smoke enveloped him, entering his mouth, pouring down his throat, a mix of hatred and pain. His arms fell to his sides, Clara's body falling to the ground as the darkness consumed him, his eyes turning black as he choked and spluttered.</p><p>A golden light started at the centre of his body, fighting with the darkness, a swirl of mist and smoke and light moving within him. He threw his head back, his arms spread wide as the light consumed him. The black smoke poured out of his mouth and screamed, the screams dying away into nothing more than a memory as he bent and picked up Clara's body.</p><p>He turned towards the TARDIS, his steps faltering as the golden light poured through, every step an agony. The chimes of the bell on the village hall sounded as he reached the door of the TARDIS, pushing it open.</p><p>We all fall down...</p><p>And the Doctor fell through the door, twisting to protect Clara's body, though there was no point now.</p><p>And the children saw the blue box disappear with the glowing man just barely inside. A legend. A dream. A forgotten memory.</p><p>Just a mad man in a blue box.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>